The change in the social status of carob: from animal food in times of scarcity to gourmet product in Balearic haute cuisine

Abstract

The so-called gastronomic boom and the interest in the conservation of the Mediterranean food heritage as a tourist resource highlight the existence of processes of rediscovery and revaluation of some foods that are undergoing a change in social status. This is the case of carob in the context of the Balearic Islands. Based on the traditional uses of this legume and the changes that have occurred in its production and consumption in recent years, this article analyzes its gourmetization process and its introduction into haute cuisine. The use of a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and observation has made it possible to study, firstly, the role of carob and its fruit as elements of the biocultural memory of the islands' society; secondly, the recent changes in value that carob is experiencing; thirdly, the strategies and actors that are contributing to the rediscovery and revaluation of this food; and finally, its introduction into haute cuisine. This article shows how the revaluation and gourmetization of carob is linked to discourses that emphasize the "local" condition of the products and that bet on the recovery of traditional gastronomy, as a "sustainable" production model and as a symbol of "authenticity".